The murderous terror regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran will go down as one of the bloodiest in post-World War II history. And it will go down exactly how it existed in its 47-year history, unfortunately – slaughtering Iranians in a desperate attempt to cling to power.
After nearly two weeks of ever-expanding protests over the collapse of the rial and oppression of the populace, the regime turned its guns on the people. The BBC reports this morning that victims of government snipers and mass shootings have overwhelmed hospitals in Tehran and elsewhere:
As protests in Iran continue and Iranian authorities issued coordinated warnings to protesters, a doctor and medic at two hospitals told the BBC their facilities were overwhelmed with injuries.
One doctor said a Tehran eye hospital had gone into crisis mode, while the BBC also obtained a message from a medic in another hospital saying it did not have enough surgeons to cope with the influx of patients. …
The BBC also obtained a video and audio message from a medic in a hospital in the south-west city of Shiraz on Thursday. The medic said large numbers of injured people were being brought in, and the hospital did not have enough surgeons to cope with the influx. He claimed many of the wounded had gunshot injuries to the head and eyes.
A health worker at another hospital in Tehran also told the BBC that their patients included gunshot wound victims.
The French news outlet i24 and TIME Magazine report that over 200 people have been killed, mainly from gunshot wounds. The regime calls those killed “terrorists,” apparently unaware of irony, but it has hardened opposition on the streets rather than quell it:
Protests against the Islamic regime in Iran continued early Saturday morning, amid a reported deadly crackdown on demonstrators. TIME magazine cited a Tehran doctor speaking on condition of anonymity that just six hospitals in the capital recorded at least 217 killed protesters, “most by live ammunition.” …
State media later referred to the demonstrators as “terrorists,” setting the stage for a violent crackdown as in other protests in recent years.
Protesters are “ruining their own streets … in order to please the president of the United States,” Khamenei said. “Because he said that he would come to their aid. He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead.”
Unfortunately for Ali Khamenei, Donald Trump has a knack for multitasking, as Nicolas Maduro belatedly discovered. Khamenei won’t get Maduroed out of Tehran, as such an operation would be logistically improbable, if not entirely impossible. Trump has stepped carefully on the issue of regime change in Iran, demanding liberation for its people but remaining silent on specifics about how that process should unfold.
In the last few days, the son of the last Shah of Iran has emerged again as a potential option, and some reports say demonstrators in Iran have called for the restoration of the monarchy. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump has kept his distance from Reza Pahlavi, however, and that Pahlavi has not had much success in building the necessary political support:
The 65-year-old Pahlavi’s prominence is a departure from previous bouts of protest, when the heir to the controversial dynasty was rarely referenced. His father, who ruled Iran from the 1940s, was widely despised in Iran for his autocratic rule, his political repression and what critics saw as his subservience to the U.S.
Few analysts think Pahlavi has a real path to the throne or leadership in Iran. His improved reputation in recent years says more about the mounting discontent with the Islamic Republic than it does about a genuine desire by Iranians for a return of the monarchy, analysts said. Many Iranians see him as everything the current regime is not: pro-Western, secular and capable of ending Iran’s economic isolation. …
There are limits to Pahlavi’s influence. He says he wouldn’t rule as a shah and wants to help Iranians transition to a secular democracy, but he lacks an organized support network inside Iran. President Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to intervene if the government fires on the protesters and has admired Iranians’ eagerness to shake off the regime, has said he isn’t ready to meet him yet.
Iran’s opposition movement remains deeply fragmented. Many Iranians—even those calling for regime change—still firmly oppose the return of the deposed dynasty.
There are other options on the table, too, with either strong track records of resistance to the mullahs or international support in the human-rights movements. Trump may want to keep from putting a thumb on the scales at this stage and encourage all of these groups to come together to work on liberating Iran together. The debate over the nature of what follows would be better tackled after Khamenei’s defeat.
However, that doesn’t mean the US will remain passive in this crisis. Iran has been one of our worst national-security risks for the last 47 years, and we have a real stake in ending that threat. Trump warned yesterday about the consequences for Khamenei and the IRGC if they turned their guns on people in the streets, which the White House pushed out to emphasize:
.@POTUS: “Iran’s in big trouble. It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible… We’re watching… I made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved.” pic.twitter.com/99HtskvGPf
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 9, 2026
That sounds very much like a red line, and the Khamenei regime clearly crossed it shortly afterward. Will Trump act, and if so, how? Trump understands red lines better than either of his predecessors, and demonstrated it in Iran seven months ago. He likely has something specific in mind with this red line, and it may come sooner rather than later.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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